Prairie View Christian Church

You shall not murder - is it as simplistic as that? In this series, we've seen that God is at work, forming us into the likeness of Christ. Christ is the one who loved his enemies so much, he gave up his life for them - for us. That is the very opposite of the anger, frustration, and selfishness that is epitomized in murder. We are to be known for the love that we have for each other, even when it...

Paul gives a third "trustworthy saying" to Timothy - God is the savior of those who believe, so we are freed to work hard and exert effort in his service. If you are a believer, do you also recognize that you are a servant of Christ, and need to be trained by his Word for service? That's a key reason we preach every weekend and have so many opportunities to volunteer.

Live long and prosper - Star Trek silliness, or a promise from God? Is that what God promises us for obeying the 5th Commandment, to honor our parents? As we continue seeing God reveal himself through the 10 Commandments, Pastor Ben shows us that it isn't about moralism - doing good things to get God's favor - but it's about a God who speaks, who redeems, and who sanctifies. What does the way we h...

The 4th Commandment is easily forgotten and overlooked: honoring the Sabbath. Why is this one of God's Top 10? Because more than being just about rest, the Sabbath is about trust in God's provision, thankfulness for his deliverance, and being set apart as his people. Those 4 aspects are just as important today as they have ever been, and we will spend eternity enjoying each of them. Are you accept...

We continue our Ten Commandments series by considering the third Commandment - honoring God's name. Is this just about cussing, or maybe carelessness in our speech, or does it go even further? We "profane" God's name by claiming to be part of his family, but then living a completely different life. Fortunately God has given another name, by which we can be saved - the name of Jesus.

Last week, the 1st Commandment told us that God alone is to be worshipped. This week, we continue with the 2nd Commandment - when we worship God, we are NOT to make any images. Why is this important? Because images and representations always cheapen God, and fail to capture his glory. How might we be tempted to do this? By creating a god of our own imagining, creating him as we wish him to be, ins...

Before the 10 Commandments were part of cinema history or a political football, they were God's self-introduction to his people. Far more than just a list of rules to check off, the 10 Commandments is God revealing himself to us, and what is important to him. He is a God who speaks, who redeems, and who sets apart his people. Has he spoken to you, redeemed you, and set you apart in Christ? Have yo...

If you want to get something meaningful accomplished, it's helpful to have a concise summary of what you're trying to do so you don't get distracted! Jesus gave his church the Great Commission, and PVCC has its mission firmly aligned with Christ's. Do you know what your purpose is, your mission? When we are focusing on what God wishes, pursuing him through the spiritual disciplines, and believing...

God has given each of His people various gifts and abilities, and He wants us to use them for the church's good and His glory. In which areas of your life are you using your gifts well and in which areas do you have room to improve?

This week we finish up our Spiritual Discipline series focusing on the discipline of prayer, which we do in order to increase and deepen our dependency on God.

This week in our "Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People" series, we considered Fasting. Not as vital as study or prayer, it is still a good gift from God - when used for the right purposes. When we face times of mourning, emergency, decisions, preparation, or repentance, fasting from food can be an excellent way to heighten our dependency upon God. That's because he is the only one who can ete...

If we are expecting spiritual growth in our church, how should we go about pursuing that? God has given us "spiritual disciplines" - good, time-tested, Biblical habits that are absolutely essential for growth. The first is STUDY - getting deep into God's Word so we can meet him there, grow in him, and let it work in our lives. Have you found a good way to make time in God's Word part of your regul...

What if the resurrection did not happen? What does that say about God? What does that say about Jesus? What does that say about us? Fortunately, the resurrection changes everything. The tomb is empty and He is risen!

Value #5 in our church direction series. "We expect both Spiritual and Numerical Growth."

In Matthew 25, Jesus gives a parable of a master who entrusted vast resources with his servants. Was it the prudent tightfisted servant who was praised, or the industrious risk-taker? Jesus commended the ones who invested his resources in Kingdom opportunities. We strive to do the same at Prairie View, putting God's resources to work in a way that pleases him as good managers and stewards. Is it t...

At Prairie View, one of our values is that we value all people as valuable. Why is that? Because we are all made in God's image. That changes how we view people - especially people we view as beneath us, or sinful, or less valuable. It also means God's esteem is more significant than self esteem. How can we best show people they are valuable? By sharing Christ with them, whether or not they value...

This week we began considering the 5 Values that we want to distinguish us as a church. How will these five values help us achieve our mission of making devoted, maturing, and multiplying followers of Christ? We start by remembering that all we do is to honor God. We seek not to honor any other God, earthly pursuit, or person, or even ourselves, but to seek first his kingdom. This is what he has m...

We worship together every week, but why? What is the church supposed to be about, anyway? Jesus gave his followers a mission: go and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them. Sunday morning is part of that, and so is small group - but the moments when we can be most "on mission" for God is when we are speaking about what he has done to people who don't know him yet. God has given us his wo...

What is faith? It's a commonly used word in our culture, but it means different things in different contexts. At root, faith is belief in testimony. For the Christian, faith is belief in GOD'S testimony about his Son, Jesus Christ. As we finish our study in 1 John, we consider how true Christian faith must impact the way we live, especially since it is God himself who is making the promises.

Continue in the 1 John series, Because He First loved Us as we discuss how Christians must lean on the Holy Spirit in their walk with Jesus.

God expects his children to be growing in his likeness. One key way we do this is growing in love. If our lives are characterized by hatred - the way of the world - then we are demonstrating that we don't have the life of Christ in is. If we're not growing in the fruit of the Spirit, we show we don't have the Spirit. Just like we see God's love for us at the cross, the world sees his love on displ...

Children naturally imitate their parents, and where the bond between them is warm and strong, this imitation is even stronger and more intentional. We have been adopted by our loving heavenly Father who paid a great price for us, so it is natural that we should seek to please him and be more and more like him. Those who are not His will not make a practice of obeying him. What will the balance of...

John's church faced false teaching, and he wrote to warn some and reassure others. True followers of Christ do not walk in darkness; they are growing in the knowledge of God, obedience to him, and love for his people. People who are not growing in knowledge, righteousness, and love are demonstrating that there is something very wrong in their spiritual life. What do you find when you examine your...

Pastor Ben begins our new series on 1 John, "Because He First Loved Us."

The church in Acts 4 faced severe challenges from a society that did not welcome talk of Jesus. In the face of hostility, they were faithful to preach the gospel with boldness, maintain a spirit and culture of unity amongst themselves, and practice an unheard-of degree of generosity. Will those descriptions fit Prairie View in 2014 and beyond?